Small Form Factor (SFF) connectors are generally known and may include a male light module (a male connector) and a female case module (a female connector) mated with the male light module. The male light module has a power of 1.0˜4.0 Watts and generates heat during use.
In order to cool the male light module, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, a known the female connector includes a bottom case 100, a top case 200, a partition 300, a plurality of temperature exchange devices 400, a clamp 500 and a light guide pipe 600. Each temperature exchange device 400 is disposed on one corresponding port 1 of the known female connector, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The temperature exchange device 400 is mounted in an opening 210 formed in the top case 200. When the male light module (not shown) is inserted into the port 1 of the known female connector, a bottom surface of the temperature exchange device 400 contacts a top surface of the male light module, and the heat from the male light module is transferred to the temperature exchange device 400 and dissipated outside. The clamp 500 holds the temperature exchange device 400 to position the temperature exchange device 400 in a front-rear direction and in an upper-down direction with a spring structure. Before the male light module is inserted into the port 1 of the known female connector, the spring structure 520 (see FIGS. 2-3) presses the temperature exchange device 400 to the lowest position defined by a top surface of the top case 200. After the male light module is inserted into the port 1 of the female connector, the male light module pushes the temperature exchange device 400 upward, and the spring structure 520 presses the temperature exchange device 400 downward against the male light module. In this way, the temperature exchange device 400 reliably contacts the male light module, reducing the thermal contact resistance between the contact surfaces of them.
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the known connector requires the clamp 500 to hold the temperature exchange device 400. The clamp 500 increases the cost, and a support arm 510 (see FIGS. 2-3) of the clamp 500 blocks an air flow and decreases the heat dissipating performance. In the prior art, the air flow may flow in a left-right direction or a front-rear direction of the connector. If the air flow flows in the left-right direction of the connector, the clamp 500 decreases the performance of the temperature exchange device most. Analysis results show that the support arm 510 of the temperature exchange device 500 reduces the heat dissipating performance by about 7%˜8%. Furthermore, since the temperature exchange device 400 is disposed only on the top case 200, the heat dissipating performance thereof is limited. Furthermore, in some severe environment, the temperature exchange device 400 on the top case 200 cannot satisfy cooling requirements.
Furthermore, in some conditions, a space between the top surface of the female connector and a housing of an electrical apparatus (in which the female connector is assembled) is very limited, especially, in a case where the housing is very compact or the female connector has multi-layer ports. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5-6, a known female connector includes a bottom base 10, a top case 20 and a partition 30, and the female connector has two layers of ports 1 (in each of which a contact 2 is received).
As for the known female connector with multi-layer ports 1 shown in FIGS. 5-6, the following problems may be occurred. For instance, the space above the top case is not large enough to mount a top layer of temperature exchange devices on the top case, especially for the female connector with multi-layer ports, because of the height of the multi-layer connector is greater than the height of a single-layer connector. Thereby, the space between the multi-layer connector and the top wall of the housing is very limited, in this case, there may be not provided any temperature exchange device on the connector, for example the multi-layer connector shown in FIGS. 5-6. In addition, the temperature exchange device with lowest height is provided in the limited space between the multi-layer connector and the top wall of the housing, and the light guide pipe is also provided in the limited space. The light guide pipe has a height substantially equal to the height of the temperature exchange device, and the light guide pipe blocks an air flow toward the fin of the temperature exchange device, it causes the temperature exchange device cannot play the convection heat transfer effect. Analysis results show that heat dissipating performance of the temperature exchange device is reduced by more than 21%.
As for the above identified problems, they cannot be solved by providing the temperature exchange device on the top case. However, in the prior art, except for the solution of providing the temperature exchange device on the top case, there is not any other solution to dissipate the heat, it causes the cooling design of the connector or the electrical apparatus failed.